Government & Politics

As Hawkeye Downs looks to refresh its property and find new ways to draw people to the racetrack amid financial woes, the Cedar Rapids City Council was split but advanced a rezoning to make way for a salvage yard on the property.

In the seven months before the explosion and fire that injured 15 people and left an environmental mess, Jeff Boeyink -- a partner at Des Moines-based public relations and lobbying firm LS2group and Branstad’s chief of staff from 2010 to 2013 -- wrote to DNR leaders and Marengo officials at least 10 times on behalf of C6-Zero to answer questions, allay concerns and invite officials to tour the site, according to emails obtained by The Gazette.

“For the first time, we’re funding students instead of a system,” the governor said. “We’re rejecting the idea that the answer to improving education is simply throwing more money into the same system.”

Iowa voters would have the potential to recall an elected official under a proposed amendment that advanced in the Iowa Senate Tuesday.

Use these interactive maps to see which three Republican Iowa senators and nine Republican Iowa representatives broke with the majority party to vote against the private education assistance bill.

Office missed including a race on some ballots and initially miscounted absentee ballots.

Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana home last week, his lawyer told the National Archives in a letter — the latest in a string of discoveries of confidential information in private residences.

Nine Republicans in the House and three in the Senate broke with the majority party to oppose the measure, which will cost $345 million annually when fully implemented.